Naruto Shippuden reBirth: Act 2 The Living Water
by TrinityCrossATK
Summary: A young man's forsaken destiny as the  unknowingly  dominant half of the Water Demigod of Balance. Persued by an elite bounty squad, finding love in death, and also his long lost other. The world is ending, one trickle at a time.  Simultaneous Trilogy
1. Prologue

**Prologue: New Tactics**

**ShdwBlood is editing, typing, and managing this story.**

**Disclaimer: I am only going to say this once. We don't own Naruto! Only our own OC's and the plot.**

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><p>"Why did you call us here?" asked someone asked in a raspy voice.<p>

"More of our comrades have fallen." A stern voice answered back.

"Who?" asked the first voice, suddenly changing its tone.

"Hidan and Kakuzu breathe no more."

"Hmm, well... It seems that the Zombie Brothers weren't immortal after all… Well, don't keep us waiting, who did it? Who killed them?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, and the ninja of the Hidden Leaf."

"Hmm… They've always been a troublesome bunch, haven't they? Especially that Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, eh, Itachi?"

"…..humph."

In a sarcastic tone, the first voice said, "How do you propose we settle this problem, O Great Leader?"

"The time has come for a change in our tactics, Kisame,"

"You don't mean…_him_?"

"Bring the boy; be back here in two hours."

"Are you sure that he is ready to officially join us?" Kisame asked.

"He will have to be. Itachi, protocol must be upheld, you know what to do."

"….yes sir."

"You are dismissed."

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><p><strong>ShdwBlood here this is my brother's and his friend's story. I'm just here to help out since I've been on this site the longest.<strong>

**Were new to writing fanfics so feel free to comment and review. **

**Go on you know you want to.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Identity?**

"Wake up shrimp."

"Hrmgh…"

"Wake up! We don't have all day."

"Yeah, yeah I'm up. Sheez Kisame-sensei, what's wrong, more training?"

Sternly he answered, "Take this, we have to go; Now."

He handed me a black cloak, here and there, was a red cloud on it. The cloak looked just like the ones Kisame-sensei and the others wore. Quickly slipping it on, I ask, "Does this mean the leader approves of me?"

It has been two and a half years since they took me in. They told me that my name is Takūya Ryūsui. They also told me that when Itachi and Kisame-sensei found me, I was torn up and alone out in some field near the Hidden Mist Village. I believed them because that would explain my slashed-out hitai-ate I don't know who they are, but they're all I can remember…except this gruesome image of a town in flames, people screaming "**monster**," and a shadowy figure. I can't figure out his face, he was too far away and a dark wind blinded me.

I've been training with these people ever since; Kisame-sensei the most though. He is always raining down session after session, pushing me to my limit. Every morning we would spar and then cross swords; his great sword Samehada verses my uchigatana Kuikkushirubā. He would teach me new water-style jutsu and how to control the water itself. Sometimes I would be sent to practice my spy skills with Zetsu-sensei; others times, evasiveness with Deidara-sensei.

"Itachi," Kisame said, "It's time."

Itachi walked up to me and grabbed me by my collar. He looked me in the eye and the next thing I knew, I was in total blackness.

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><p><strong>Please review, you know you want to.<strong>


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Akatsuki**

"Arise Takūya Ryūsui."

"Where am I?" I was confused. I was just in a grassland a moment ago. Now, I'm in some cave.

Ignoring my question, the voice said, "You are now of the Akatsuki. We exist to bring peace to the world. You have been recognized as a powerful shinobi, a worthy ally, and loyal member; wear that cloak with honor."

Trying to get my surroundings, I found my self surrounded by all the other members. However, they all appeared to be holograms. I could make out the silhouettes of Kisame-sensei, Itachi, and Zetsu-sensei. I couldn't recognize the other figures, whilst realizing that something was amiss. There were nine members when I was found; only five were present.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"Sasori, Hidan, and Kakuzu have all perished and Deidara can't be located."

"Who did this!" I was taken back in surprise.

"Do you know the name Naruto Uzumaki?" the voice answered.

I have only heard that name only a few times during my training, but I never took it to heart.

"Not extensively." I replied.

"Your mission is to spy on Naruto and the Hidden Leaf Village. All members of the Akatsuki must have a partner, so… _he_ will be accompanying you. Zetsu will lead you there." The figure pointed to a patch of darkness to my right. I stared in that direction to see a figure approach out of the shadows. Squinting, I could see that the man wore wooden sandals, the trademark cloak, and an odd orange mask that spirals into a small hole where the man's right eye would be.

"Hi, I'm Tobi. I'm new here too. Nice to meet 'ya!"


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Begin Mission**

"We're here you two." Zetsu-sensei stopped and pointed forward.

"Oooh! I can't wait to get started!" Tobi said excitedly.

"Remember, your mission is to spy in plain sight on Naruto and his comrades. Tobi, you will wait outside the village in one month at 12:31 sharp and rendezvous with Takūya near the East Gate. You will collect his information then."

"What will I do until then Mr. Zetsu?" Tobi asked.

"I will lead you to your assignment presently."

"Wait, Mr. Zetsu, do you mean Takūya and I aren't partners anymore?"

"Our Great Leader has other plans for you…" He turned his back towards us, not showing his face. "As for your new partner, that can be fixed."

"Wait, who will be with Takūya? He needs a partner too…" Tobi whined.

Zetsu-sensei turned his darker half towards us and replied, "This is a very delicate and risky mission. Sending in a pair to spy is way too suspicious. We need to keep a low profile. That is why Takūya is alone on this one." He turned back and mumbled something under his breath. "Besides, he is more than capable of taking care of himself…"

Tobi turned to me, seemingly confused, and replied, "Oh, okay… if you say so Mr. Zetsu. Good luck Takūya! See ya real soon!"

In a flash, they were gone. Looking towards the instructed direction, I took a deep breath and used a transformation jutsu to change my cloak into a set of new clothes with a new Mist Village hitai-ate. Tightening my fingerless gloves, I mutter, "Okay… showtime."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Coincidence with a Question Mark**

Walking through the North Gate, I stared in awe of how big the village looked. Just inside the gate, I could see all sorts of people, colorful shops and restaurants.

'Remember the mission,' I thought to myself. "Find Naruto and blend in. Just blend right in. Jus-'

"Stop! You there! You in the blue!"

I spun around in shock, two shinobi ran towards me. One had spiky black hair and a bandage over his nose and the other had combed down brown hair, covering his right eye. He also wore his hitai-ate like a bandana.

'Damn, was I caught already!'

"It is against custom for strangers to just walk on in to the village with out checking yourself in!" The spiky haired one scolded. "Who are you? What is your business here? What's-"

"Izumo! Kotetsu! What's going on here?"

Both of them took their eyes off me and looked towards a kunoichi swiftly approaching. She wore her long, blonde hair in a similar fashion to my own hair style; in a ponytail (except hers was closer to her head), and covering her left eye. Her all-purple attire consisted of a short, sleeveless blouse, exposing her abdomen, and a short apron-skirt. She also wore fishnets over her elbows, knees and upper thighs. If she wasn't part of the enemy, I would have thought she looked very beautiful.

"Miss Yamanaka," The brown haired shinobi stated. "What bring you're here?"

"I received intel from Lady Tsunade about an arrival of a party from the Hidden Mist and was ordered to greet and escort them to her immediately." She quickly gazed in my direction, sizing me up, and stared at my hitai-ate. "Is this it? Aren't there more of you?"

Stunned for a moment, I mumbled, "Well… um… You see…"

"There's no need to explain. I'm sure your village needs most of its people for rebuilding. Heehee, I'm sure Lady Tsunade will understand." She turned her attention back to the duo. "Izumo, Kotetsu. I'll take it from here."

"Of course, Miss Yamanaka. Take care." They stared back at me for a moment, and then headed back to their post.

Without warning, the girl yanked my arm and quickly pulled me onward. I tried to figure out what the hell just happened, but I couldn't stop thinking about what she had said before: 'Rebuilding?'


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Know Your Enemy**

As I was led onward, we crossed a bridge connecting the inner and outer part of the village. Looking directly forward, I could see a large mansion with a large Land of Fire insignia.

'That, obviously, must be where the Hokage lives,' I thought to myself. I pondered about the possibility of being discovered, but an even bigger question came to mind: 'How the HELL do I find Naruto when I have no freakin' clue what he looks like?' I felt like and idiot. All I could do was hope that somehow, he would eventually cross my path. Maybe this girl would know…'

Suddenly, we made a quick turn left. Stopping and letting go of my arm, the kunoichi said, "We never introduced each other. I'm Yamanaka Ino. I help run my family's flower shop. What's your name?"

I didn't know how to respond to that. I wasn't given an alias and I didn't know what I should call myself in such short notice. Without thinking any longer, I blurt out, "I'm Takūya; Ryūsui Takūya." I lowered my head, trying not to make eye contact.

With a small smile, Ino tried to catch a look at my face. Then she said, "That's a really interesting name; Ryūsui. I think I heard that somewhere before…Are you, like, a really important shinobi in your village?"

Again, unable to think of a legitimate answer, I turned my head to the side and remained silent.

"Hey," Ino lowered her tone. "Are you okay? Was it something I said? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry,"

"No," I muttered. "It's not you. I've just, never been away from home for a long time before…" I guess that was true. I mean, home was always wherever Kisame-sensei, Itachi and I stopped on our travels for the night.

Placing a hand on my shoulder, Ino quietly said, "Hey, its okay if you're nervous and homesick. I'm sure you and your village have been through a lot as it is."

That struck my curiosity again. 'The village?' I wondered, 'What about the village?' I couldn't be more confused in my life. 'What happened to the Hidden Mist Village? Could this have anything to do with my only memory of my past and my tarnished hitai-ate?' Recollecting myself, I looked at Ino with a half-stern face, and said, "No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm just a-"

"Ino! Where have you been? Who is this guy? I've never seen him before…"

Quickly looking up, I saw a young shinobi about as tall as I, wearing a dark, standard, shinobi outfit. He had dark brown hair in a spiked ponytail and sported a seemingly, sunken and tired look in his eyes.

Immediately, Ino shouted, "Hey Shikamaru! How have you been?"

"Ino, don't avoid the question. Who is this guy? What are you doing out here?" The shinobi Ino called Shikamaru looked as if he was studying me and couldn't figure me out. I guess that must have irritated him.

"Don't be so rude Shikamaru! That is no way to treat a guest! Anyway, his name is Takūy-"

"Ryūsui." I interrupted. 'Why did I only say my last name?'

"Ryūsui huh? I think I heard that name before… hmm…." Shikamaru mumbled.

Continuing, Ino said, "Yeah, his name is Takūya and I was just about to show him around town before I brought him to Lady Tsunade."

"The Hokage," Shikamaru muttered. "Why the Hokage?" he had a puzzled look in his face.

"Oh, umm… It was on her orders. We were expecting an arrival from the hidden Mist, so I-"

"Impossible!" Shikamaru shouted in an extremely angry tone. "I just met with her not ten minutes ago! She said nothing about an arrival. She _did _say that three suspicious men with dark cloaks were discovered by one of our messenger hawks a few miles from the North Gate earlier today; presumably the Akatsuki. You led him inside! YOU IDIOT!"

'Oh…shit…' I thought to myself. 'I'm in trouble!' My thumb barley raised Kuikkushirubā out of its sheath when-

"SHADOW POSSESSION JUTSU!"

I couldn't move. My body was completely frozen in the same stance as Shikamaru. 'Damn it.' I thought with a slight frown on my face.

"Good job Shikamaru," A triumphant woman's voice said. "We have our spy. That was fast. I thought it would have taken a bit longer."

"Lady Tsunade!" Ino exclaimed. She seemed even more stunned than I was.

"I'll deal with you later, Miss Yamanaka." The Hokage stood before me like a great stone wall. "But first things first…" She raised her fist and for a split second, I could feel motion return to my body. However, the reunion was short lived because I lost all sense of feeling after one brutal, agonizingly painful punch to my stomach. I sputtered blood, then lost consciousness.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Capture Cut Short**

When I finally came to, all I saw was blackness. Wherever I was, I knew I was underground because the gills on my face detected high saturation in the air. I twitched every joint in my body, noticing that I was tied to a chair and blindfolded. 'Typical,' I thought, 'the biggest stereotype of an interrogation; lame.' I exhaled a deep breath of relief, but something was wrong here: 'Why am I not in pain?' I remembered being frozen by Shikamaru, then having the living daylights knocked out of me. I shuddered at the mere memory of how much that hurt. It didn't make any sense. 'Why would they heal me if I was the enemy?'

I didn't have time to think about it because I heard a door open and several people quietly enter the room. Soon after, someone had ripped my blindfold off, causing me flinch in surprise. There wasn't much light down here so my eyes didn't have to adjust that much. All I could see was a small light just above the steel table in front of me. Squinting, I could faintly see a few silhouettes near the back of the room.

"Well, well. Look who finally woke up." I recognized the voice, it was the Hokage. Stepping into view, she glared down at me, and then sat in a chair on the opposite side of the table. "What's wrong? Got nothing to say for yourself?"

I remained silent. I knew that I was in no position to say anything in my defense.

"Not talking, eh? Very well, we know all we need to know about you anyway."

"I highly doubt that." I retorted.

Standing up, Tsunade gestured towards one of the people in the back. "Sakura, come here."

I saw one of the characters come into view; it was a girl. The young kunoichi had short, pink hair and misty, green eyes. She wore a red zip-up shirt, a pink apron-skirt, black gloves, and black boots. She looked cute, not that I really cared.

"Do it." Tsunade ordered.

"Yes, milady." She turned to me. "Release!"

With a puff of smoke, my fake clothes reverted back into the Akatsuki robes. A few from the back of the room gasped.

"Just as I thought," Tsunade proclaimed. "an Akatsuki spy. Heh, for being one of them, you're not too bright are ya? Your spy skills are terrible."

In realizing the truth of her words, I was utterly ashamed of myself. All of that training with Zetsu-sensei; all in vain. 'What would Kisame-sensei and the others say if they knew about this?'

"And assuming that you won't tell us anything, a private execution is in order. This is how it's going to work: First, you will be restrained and unarmed. Second, I will give the order for three shinobi of my choosing to kill you in any way they wish. Understand?"

I lowered my head, making sure my face wouldn't be seen, and grinned. "To the very last breath."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: In the Eye of the Beholder**

"Good, it's settled then. Plus, because I'm a merciful Hokage, I will let you see your executioners the day before you die; right now. Naruto! Sakura! Neji! Step forward."

'Well… at least I found Naruto…' I mumbled in my head. 'I wish this meeting would have been under better circumstances though…'

"Grandma Tsunade." "Milady." "Miss Hokage." All three of them answered back in order.

"Take a good look at him you three. He is the one you are all going to execute. Consider it an honor."

"Hmm…" Naruto leaned forward and squinted at me. "He doesn't really look like much; just some jerk trying to look cool."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I grumbled. "I couldn't hear you; your voice was getting all muffled with your head being so far up your ass."

I heard a giggle or two, but Naruto wasn't laughing. "Hey! Were do you get off saying things like that! Why I oughta… I oughta kill you right now!"

I smirked. "Heh, go ahead, kill me. I doubt you even have the balls to do it."

"Grrrrrrrrrr…. NOW YOU'RE GONNA GET IT!"

Naruto raised his fist to punch me but Sakura caught his arm. Without taking her eyes off me, she sternly said, "No, Naruto. Hitting him won't do you any good. Besides… I want him in perfect condition before I knock him back into the bottomless pit he crawled out from."

"Sakura…" Naruto whined. She squeezed his arm, with enough pressure to make him jerk away in pain.

'Hmmm…' I thought. 'She seems to be holding something back. This girl may yet be stronger than I anticipated. I'd better be careful with this one.' I shifted my eyes to the third shinobi Tsunade called out. He wore a long, white robe and puffy, brown pants. His hair was brown and quite long for a guy. But what really interested me were his blank eyes. They had no pupils. They reminded me of my eyes, but mine are black. 'And you… Why are you so quiet? What are you hiding?'

We stared at each other for which seemed like hours; eyes locked on each other's. I noticed that next to his eyes, were several veins that swelling up; like they were strained or something. My eyes stung, staring into them; but it was not him that was causing this… It was my eyes. I could feel that something was shifting inside them, and it made them hurt a little, but no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't shut them.

At that moment, Neji flinched then let out a grunt of irritation. "Gghh, why? Why won't my Byakugan work?"

"What!" Tsunade growled. "What do you mean 'won't work?'"

"Just as I said… No matter how many times I try, I can't use it. It must be his eyes, look at them. They are different now."

"Huh?" Sakura said. "That's impossible, eyes don't just change." She looked into my eyes, but didn't seem to see anything. "Neji, you must be seeing things. I mean, look at him; his eyes are normal."

"No." He grumbled "I know what I saw. When I tried using my Byakugan, his eyes completely changed. Instead of the normal, dark eyes he had before, now they are completely black with a thick, white ring around his pupil. After that, my Byakugan was rendered useless."

"Hmmm… That is unusual…" Tsunade said. "Do you still want to participate in the execution?"

Neji lowered his head, then raised it a gain. "I-"

"Lady Tsunade!" A voice interrupted. I recognized that voice in an instant.

"Ino?' I thought. 'Why is she here?'

"What do you want, Miss Yamanaka?" Tsunade sounded irritated. No wonder; remembering that Ino had virtually invited one of the Akatsuki into the village. "I am not in the mood to listen to your complaints and excuses."

"I want to take Neji's place in the execution." Ino boldly stated.

"_What_?" Tsunade hissed; her fists clenching.

"I… I want to take Neji's place, Ma'am." Ino sounded like her confidence was completely drained from her body. "I… I want revenge." She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I WANT HIM TO PAY FOR LYING TO ME!"


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Fury of a Maiden's Heart**

Ino glared at me with an inextinguishable fire in her eyes. I kept my gaze, not backing down; however, her rage did surprise me. I could understand why she would be this furious. I can only imagine the humiliation she must have felt for letting me into the village.

The Hokage took a deep breath, and then exhaled in an exaggerated sigh. "Very well. If you truly want to beat this whelp into the ground, then be my guest. Neji, you hace been relieved of duty. You may go home."

"Yes Miss Hokage." Neji stole one last look at my face, and then left without another word.

Relaxing, the Hokage drew her attention towards Ino. "Miss Yamanaka, you are in. Do as you will at the execution," She smirked. "If you can handle it."

The grin I saw on Ino's face actually startled me a bit. "Oh yes, Lady Tsunade. There won't be _any_ holding back."

'Sheez,' I said in my head. 'I know I am a spy and all, but I haven't done anything yet. What is she so angry about?' I had to know. "Why?" I muttered." Why do you have these feelings of such magnitude? What past harm have I done you? Why-"

"Shut up." Ino growled. "Shut… the _hell_ up. You… You and all you Akatsuki scum broke my heart. You murdered Asuma-sensei, you hunt down innocent people, you are all a threat to the world… and I trusted you. I thought you would be a cool guy; one of the good ones… I was a fool to have welcomed you into the village on a whim. I am so stupid." She clenched her fists. "But now…Now I realize that you are just one of _them_." I noticed a few tears welling up in her eyes after that last statement.

All the same, I was dumbfounded. 'What is she talking about? Murder! Hunting innocent people! Is that what the Akatsuki is truly about? The leader said we existed for peace…' Lowering my head, I uttered, "I had nothing-"

"NO!" Ino screamed. She leapt at me over the table and grabbed me by my collar, lifting me up and pinning me to the wall. Tears were streaming down her face. "No! You had everything to do with it!" Her firm grip tightened. Her surprising strength caught me off guard. "Freaks like you… have _no_ right to hurt innocent people." Lowering me to the ground, she let go and dried her tears; trying to calm herself a little. She turned her back on me, and said, "I hope you are ready to die tomorrow… Because you are going straight to hell for what you and your friends did." Opening the door, she said, "Milady, lets go."

Ino, followed by Naruto and Sakura, left through the door without a sound. Tsunade blindfolded me just before I was knocked out once more. 'Damn, that bitch is strong…'


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Setting the scene**

(From now on, - /-\ - is a time shift)

**Scenery shift: Chunin Exams Arena**

'I must have been tied here for hours…' I said to myself in my mind. 'I guess the execution will begin at dawn. Hmm… I could escape right now, but I need to at least get some sort of information on Naruto. This is embarrassing; being tied here unguarded. Who doe think they are dealing with?' I smirked grimly. 'If they think that I'm going to just let them kill me without a fight, then they are deathly mistaken. As a spy, I have failed miserably; but as a Water-Style shinobi, my training will not go in vain!'

- /-\ -

As the sun hung in the sky for about fifteen minutes, I could hear the footsteps of my executioners. 'Okay, it is time. Time… to redeem myself.' I bowed my head and breathed heavily. My gills began to breathe in all the moisture in the air around me. Concentrating my chakra into the air in my lungs, I let out even heavier breaths; breathing out mist than air. 'Sorry Ino; you can't have your revenge today.'

As I focused on my breathing, I could hear the irritated voices of the three shinobi. "Uhhh… Hey! What's the big idea! Where did all this fog come from!" Nauto called out. "How did he pull of a Hidden Mist genjutsu without his hands! C'mon! Quit hiding and just die!"

"Naruto!" Sakura called out. "Be careful, I don't like the look of this…"

'Damn right, you shouldn't.' I thought. 'Okay… Now for part two…' I abruptly silenced my breathing, concentrating on the flow of my chakra; steadily slowing. I the technique I was about to perform is very risky; if not performed correctly, I could dismember my whole body… atom by atom…

The performance of this secret technique felt like I was disappearing, slowly being detached from everything that mattered in this world. I dare not open my eyes, for I might lose concentration. The point of this was to dissipate into mist for a short moment and reappear a few feet ahead.

Once I finished, I would then gather up all the moisture I could and, this time, infuse the fog with my chakra, creating a special kind of water to flow from my hands and fill up the arena. 'Almost there…'

"Uhh… Sakura? Does the ground feel a little… _damp_ to you?" Naruto asked, sounding confused.

"Yes, but, how?"

"Eek!" Ino screamed. "Water!"

The water was lapping at their feet now; rapidly rising. Sakura ordered Naruto and Ino to stay above the water at all times.

Already, the water had risen to about halfway up the arena. I stopped and looked up at the surface. 'I am so glad I have these gills,' I put my hands up to my face, feeling the water circulate through them. 'I would never bee able to pull this off if I didn't.' Momentarily savoring the moment, I laid out my entire plan out in front of me; it was perfect… flawless…

- /-\ -

**Meanwhile, back on the surface: (POV change)**

The three shinobi positioned themselves accordingly to where they believed Takūya still was; the center. From Takūya's perspective, Naruto was five yards directly in front of him. Sakura would be at two o'clock and Ino at ten o'clock.

"Sakura! Ino!" Naruto called out. "When the fog lifts, let's get him!"

When the mist lifted, Takūya was no where to be found. He had completely vanished. "He's not here! Where the hell did he go!"

Sakura didn't like this at all. 'Something's not right…' She thought. 'Right… Left… Up…. *gasp* Naruto! Ino! Jump, hurry!"

Naruto pivoted around, "Whaa-AAGHHhggrblglh…"

At that moment, a hand grasped Naruto's ankle and dragged him down into the depths of Takūya's trap.

"NARUTOOOOOOO!"


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Battle of Broken Bonds**

I held on to Naruto's ankle, dragging him into the inner depths of my trap. I let go, jetting back to keep a distance. Performing several hand signs, I say in my mind, 'Water-Style: Water Shark Shotgun Jutsu!' At that moment three liquid sharks formulated around me, then shot after Naruto; two circled around and one would charge from below. Naruto spun around to follow the movement of the first two, but as planned, the third from below collided with him and sent him skyrocketing through the surface. In the air, with the other two sharks leaping up after him, Naruto spun around and used his Shadow Clone Jutsu the send him back towards me; respectively causing the two sharks to collide with the shadow clone. Anticipating what was to happen next, I jetted up towards Naruto at equal velocity. Using one handed sign, I commanded the water to freeze instantly. At the last second, I burst out of the now, lake of solid ice. Smirking, Naruto shouted "Rasengan!" Just as it would seem that he had me, I said in my mind, 'Fake-out tactic.' I then became mist for a second before impact. The transformation was not long, for I re-assimilated as soon as I was just behind an aggravated Naruto. "Too slow," I said to him. Then I whipped around and spin kicked him into the ice, shattering it with the massive impact.

"Water-Style: Infinite Sharks!" As the miniature sharks rained down upon Sakura and Ino, I shouted, "Water-Style: Giant Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!" A much larger liquid shark formed below me. But instead of chasing Naruto, I landed on its back, and drove it around the arena. 'Now is my chance!' But as much as I knew it was a good idea to run, I couldn't bring myself face Kisame-Sensei in utter failure. No… I am going to fight and just take Naruto with me. That way, I won't go empty handed. 

Amidst the ruckus on the ground, I noticed Ino and Sakura lending Naruto a boost towards me. "Wind-Style: Rasen-Shuriken!" He exclaimed. Putting both hands down on my creation's back, I say in my mind, 'Transformation.' My shark slowly morphed into a dragon, plummeting towards Naruto in a spiraling fashion. 'Freeze!' At the last second, I leapt from my frozen beast as it crashed into Naruto, jaws open. Even though it was broken into shards, it was a spectacle Kisame-sensei should have seen.

Looking back at Naruto, who was on the ground now, had seemed to struggle to keep his balance. 'Heh, I guess he must have met his limit.' I said in my head. He looked terrible. His face was scratched and smudged, and he seemed about to pass out at any moment. "I guess I'm done with you now…"

Straining himself to speak, he growled, "You… You, jerk!" He coughed. "I'LL SHOW YOU!" Naruto's pupils became slits, and his fingernails were longer, pointier, and animal-like. On top of that, I could see a red-orange, bubbling aura encasing him.

'Uh oh,' I said to myself. 'This can't be good; and yet… interesting. It seems there was more to him than I thought. I never would have guessed that he had _this_ kind of power dwelling within.'

In a flash, Naruto rushed at me on all fours. He raised and arm, pulling it back, and produced his Rasengan; but this one was darker and had that same aura around it. "RASENGAAAAAAN!" At the right moment, I dissipated before impact and condensed back after Naruto ran headfirst into the wall. I would have been destroyed if he hadn't tried to draw back at the last second.

Analyzing the situation at hand, I figured to try something different. I jetted over the pools of water left over by the ice to the other side of the arena; dodging any foolhardy attacks from Sakura or Ino. They aren't really much of a threat anyway, so what do I care?

At the opposite end of the arena, I knelt down. 'I'll try this new jutsu,' I thought. 'I've been waiting to try this out.' This new jutsu I invented is designed to counter any jutsu that involves condensed chakra in the palms of one's hands. This would be my first legitimate test. "It's time." I lowered my left hand, palm-up, just above a pool of melted ice. I held my arm with the other hand as the water steamed up into my hand, forming a translucent orb of water. I heard Naruto growl something in the distance, so I stood up and rushed at him as he prepared his Rasengan and, likewise, rushed at me. Raising his arm Naruto screamed, "RASENGAAAAN!"

It all seemed to go in slow motion; his Raesngan and my new jutsu clashed and became one. Whoever should overwhelm the other is all that mattered now. With his power, I was glad my jutsu was not over yet. "Now!" I shouted. "Water-Style: Aqua Vacuum Jutsu!" It had begun; my new technique was about to be realized. I could feel the power in his chakra as I slowly absorbed it. Lowering my other hand into a striking position, I moved his chakra through my body and out into the palm of my right hand, slowly re-assimilating into the exact Rasengan that Naruto had just tried to use. Reaching back and jamming it into Naruto's stomach with blinding speed, I yelled, "REFLECTION!"

"GgAAAGHH!" Naruto was sent flying back into the wall he had previously crashed into. "Hmhmhmhm…. Hehehehe… HAHAHAHAHA! YES!" My new jutsu was a complete success. I was so amazed at how perfectly my jutsu was executed; I didn't notice the shifting feeling in my eyes until now.

Reveling in my satisfaction, I raised my fist, controlling a pillar of water to rise. I pulled back my hand and swiftly reached out towards Naruto, sending the water into him and the wall. 'Freeze.' I whispered in my head. "That's one down," I turned to Ino and Sakura; they were paralyzed in disbelief of what just happened. "And two to go…"

"Naruto…" Ino whimpered. "Grrr… You, MONSTER! ChaaaaaaAAAAAA!" She sprinted towards me in a righteous fury. Sakura called out, "Ino! Don't-" I raised my hand and bended the water into four pillars. "FREEZE!" I shouted, creating a prison of ice around Ino; her hands frozen in two of the pillars and her feet frozen to the ground. "Two…" I mumbled. I turned to Sakura. "And now… for you…" I grinned. This was just too easy. "Hopefully _you_ will be more of a challenge."

Sakura fell to her knees. "What's _wrong_ with you?" She said. "How could you be as young as us and have so much skill to work for the Akatsuki? Why did you join an evil group of kidnappers and murderers? More importantly…" She stood up. "Why do you not kill us? You know you are able to escape, so why not? ….. What do you have to gain? WHAT DO YOU FIGHT FOR!"

Her words and questions were trivial, but it got me thinking. I was still confused about what the Akatsuki was really about. 'Am I really working on the wrong side?' "I…" Lowering my head, I came clean. "I had no idea… I didn't know that they were as bad as you say… They… They wanted me when no one else might have. Could I really be just as bad as them? … Still…" I raised my hand. "I guess there's no backing out now…"

"No!" Sakura shouted. "It's not too late! You could still stop! You could join _us_!"

"I'm sorry…" I said. The moisture in the air condensed into a spear of ice, levitating above my hand. "But you were right about one thing…"

"Huh! What!" Sakura gasped.

I pulled my arm back. "I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU!"

"EEK!" In a puff of smoke, Sakura suddenly became Ino. 'How!' I thought. The Ino frozen in my prison was really Sakura, disguised to look like Ino. "INO! GET OUT OF THE WAY!' She sreamed.

'Ino!' I gasped in my head. "NOOOOO!" With all the agility I could muster, I jetted from pool to pool; from where I was to in front of Ino. I stood infront of her with my arms spread wide and shouted, "Water-Style: Water barrier Jutsu!" A half-dome shield of water stood in a torrent in front of us. "FREEZE!" But it was too late. The spear shot through the water just before it froze and - SHWICK!

"Grgh… *cough**cough*….. damn it…"

Ino looked up, terrified at the atrocious scene before her. The spear pierced through my left shoulder. I could feel the frigid ice on and in both sides of my flesh, chilling it. Blood dripped onto the ground and down my arm in short streams. "Ta… Takūya… Why?" I turned my head, flinching in pain, and snickered. "Just don't… go… cryin' over it…" I shuddered in the agonizing pain, my arm growing numb, and body getting weaker. I lost all sense of balance, and I blacked out; falling to my knees, then onto my face.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Charity of a Cherry Blossom**

"Grghmm…" 'What? I'm still alive? But… how? I tought…'

I opened my eyes, only to shut them again because of the sudden bright light. Once my eyes adjusted, I noticed that I was lying down in a hospital bed. I also noticed Ino sleeping with her head down at the foot of the bed. 'What is she doing here?' I pondered. 'I thought she still hated me… I mean, after I- ! That's right, my wound!' I touched my shoulder to see if was okay. I looked at it and saw that it was wrapped in clean bandages. I tried moving my shoulder all around; I was completely healed! It was as if I hadn't been injured in the first place. I decided to unravel the bandages.

'Wha… What's this!' I said with a shocked tone in my head. 'This… How could this happen? How long have I been out?' What startled me wasn't that the wound healed, but that there was no wound; period! 'No scar… the bandages contain no bloodstains... What's going on?'

"Well, well. You finally woke up."

I quickly sat up and I spun my head towards the front of the room. In the left corner of the room was a pink haired girl sitting in a small chair, reading a little red book.

"You…" I grumbled. 'What is _she_ doing here?'

"Relax, I'm not here to pick a fight; not after _that_ whole display. Ino wouldn't leave your side, so I decided to stay."

I looked down at Ino, who stirred a little. She must be having a dream.

"That was an amazing thing you did back there," Sakura closed her eyes. "I still can't believe it; an Akatsuki sacrificing himself for one of us. I also still can't believe that you survived that."

"Yeah…" I said. "Me either…"

"Heh, actually, Lady Tsunade hoped that you would be dead."

I lowered my head at that statement. "Oh, I see… Sorry to disappoint…"

Sakura sprang up. "No no no, on the contrary, we were lucky you weren't." She had an apologetic look on her face. "You see, when we realized you were still going to live, I put in a good word to Lady Tsunade. Heh heh, she was furious at first, but then… I thought… that you had some good in you. Maybe… you could leave the Akatsuki and join us…" Sakura looked away. "That is, if you don't… then…"

I weighed my options. 'Hmmm… I could join them and redeem any bit of honor that I have, or refuse and be dealt with by the Hokage… Plus, I failed my mission… So that means Kisame-sensei and the others will not be happy…' I decided to cut my losses and give up.

"Sure."

Sakura looked back at me, surprised. "Wha… What did you say?" She stuttered.

"Fine… I'll stay," I said with a sigh. "Even if means being under lock and key. It's not like I have anywhere to go now… Plus, I'm not in the position to refuse. I could never forgive myself for what I tried to do…"

Sakura smiled, like she was proud of me. "Oh, I also must ask… Why _did_ you save Ino? I thought all Akatsuki were heartless; no offense…"

That was one question I could not answer; even if I tried. I leaned back on the bed. "You know… It felt like... like some part of me deep down couldn't see her die…" I let out a deep breath of confusion. "I don't know what came over me…"

A nurse cracked open the door and gestured to Sakura. Sakura nodded to her and stood up. Before leaving the room, Sakura looked over her shoulder and gave me a wink. "I think I know why."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Barely Scratching the Surface**

As I watched Sakura exit the room, I couldn't help but wonder: 'What is she implying? Could she possibly be thinking that I have feelings for Ino?' I flicked my head to the side at the thought. 'No… How could she think that? I hardly know her that well. I mean… we just met, like, yesterday.' It all seemed absurd to me. 'Besides, after what I did… or at least tried to do…' I grumbled in my head and decided to leave the matter alone, but I couldn't let go of that fact that I _did_ save her, and I have no inkling as to why.

I took a deep sigh and looked down at the sleeping Ino. 'Why is she here? Why isn't she home?' I guess having her life saved by a mortal enemy put on a larger impact than I could ever conceive. 'Isn't this a little… much?' I considered the possibility that she was expecting me too wake up soon and thank me, or something, and then be on her way. In truth, the reason why she was here actually didn't matter to me that much, so I shrugged it off. 'Sigh… girls are so confusing…'

I looked around my room, but my Akatsuki robes were no where to be found. I wanted to just leave, but I didn't want to wake up Ino. Breathing deeply, but quietly, I used my one-handed dissipation technique to silently rise out of bed and materialize back on the floor. Slipping some provided sandals on; I looked out the window to my right. I tied the top of my long, black hair back in my usual way and fixed the front to cover up the right side of my face. My hair style reminded me of Ino's.

When I had made my way out the door, I poked my head out and looked to my left, then to my right. Both ways lead down a hallway that turned around the corner. I stiffened my attention to my left when I heard voices coming from two doors down. Walking in that direction, I recognized one of the voices; it was Sakura.

'Sakura?' I thought. I tried to imagine who the other voice belonged to, but it was unknown to me. Whoever it was, it was another girl. I didn't want to eavesdrop, but I couldn't resist. I put one ear up to the door, making sure no one was watching, and listened to what seemed to be an argument.

"But it doesn't make sense! Sakura, what could this mean?"

"I don't know, but whatever the cause, it can't be good. Just to be safe, I'd stay away from him for now. Sakura replied.

"This can't be coincidence! Two strangers don't just drop unconscious at the same time, have similar blood contents, _and_ heal the same wound in perfect sync!"

That struck my interest. 'What, or who, could they be talking about? Who _is_ this girl?'

"Did you tell him yet?" The unknown girl voice asked.

"No," Sakura solemnly replied. "I haven't told him anything… at least, not yet. For now, it is better if Takūya doesn't know anything."

I was appalled. 'WHAT! ME! WHAT'S GOING _ON_ HERE!' Then, I heard the other voice mumble something, but was the interrupted by a shriek.

"Gghaa!"

"Keira? Keira, what's wrong! Are you alright!" Sakura sounded really worried.

"Huff… Huff… Sakura, I just felt a really powerful presence."

"Are you going to be ok?"

"Huff… yeah… no problem."

"I'll go check the door."

'Uh oh,' I thought to myself. 'I'm in trouble.'

I scrambled away from the door and pretended I was about to knock, when the door suddenly opened.

"Oh, Takūya… Heh, what are you doing here?" She sounded like she was hiding something. However, I didn't want to have gotten caught eavesdropping on her _conversation_, so I played it off.

"I just wanted to know where my cloak is." I half-lied.

She looked up and down at me. I was wearing white, hospital pants, sandals, and my grey, fishnet under armor, exposing my athletic build. Her face got ever so slightly pink when she saw me like this.

Her gaze quickly returned to my dark eyes and sad, "Oh… your robe…" She paused for a moment. "Well, you see… Lady Tsunade ordered them to be destroyed, so… Well, it was in bad shape anyway… But she did order some new clothes for you. They should be done now… Check the front desk," She pointed out the hallway to my left. "It is down this hall, then down those stairs. You shouldn't miss it."

"Thank you." I said in an emotionless voice. I tried to catch a glimpse of the other girl, but Sakura quickly got in my way and tried to smile innocently, like there was nothing wrong, but I knew better. I headed down Sakura's directed path and I heard the door quickly shut when I reached the stairs.

When I got to the front desk, the counter lady handed me my new clothes and said I could change in the restroom to my left. I instantly noticed that there was something eerie about these clothes.

'No… It couldn't be… That doesn't make any sense… How is this even possible!'

My new clothes were the exact same design as my fake clothes! Every stitch, every detail; it was a perfect copy! I had put a lot of work into designing these clothes, so I didn't care how completely creepy this was.

After I returned the hospital clothes and took off the bandages, I stepped out of the hospital and decided that I should explore the town. I was probably under surveillance anyway, on top of having no where to go; so there was no point in leaving.

'This may be a new start for me,' I thought. 'But I'm gonna get in a whole world of trouble when _they_ find out…'

Not even ten yards away from the hospital, I heard a ruckus in the lobby.

"TakūyaAA!"

I spun around. It was Ino! She scrambled out of the door in a frenzy, panting when she finally caught up with me.

"Huff… Huff… Hey! Thanks for… huff… waiting!"

Bent over, with her hands on her knees, Ino tried to catch her breath. "Wh…When I woke up, you… huff… you and Sakura were… huff… gone. I knew… huff… where she was. She told me… huff… that you… you… left to get your… huff… clothes." She paused for a moment, then stood back up. "But when I got to the front desk, they said you had left. So I… had to… catch you…"

Scratching my head lightly, I ask, "Why?"

Ino stretched out her hand. "I… I wanted to thank you… You know… for before… back at the arena…"

I stared at her hand for a moment, then I looked up at her. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do… I'm a _'monster'_ remember? It might as well have been an accident…"

Ino withdrew her hand back close to her, lowering her head with a sad expression in her eyes.

"No… I was right," She said. "I was right from the first time we met…" Looking back up, she stared in to my eyes, seeming as if she was about to cry. "I knew you were a nice person, Takūya." She stuck out her hand again, hoping I would take it this time.

I didn't know what to do, so I humored her. I hesitantly, but surely, out stretched my hand to shake hers, but all of a sudden, she immediately flung herself at me in a friendly embrace. Then, she whispered something in my ear; something that wasn't _ever_ going to forget:

"You may not be human, but you are definitely _not_ a monster."


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Unsheathed Emotions

Her hug took me by surprise. On top of that, her seemingly heartfelt words touched me in a way that I could never describe. However, I still couldn't bear to live as the Akatsuki spy or the traitor; to both sides. I couldn't find it in me to return her hug so I faked it and said that I "appreciated" her sentiments. Unfortunately, I could not bring myself to accept it; I am what I am… a convert and a traitorous beast.

I put my hands on Ino's shoulders and pushed her away, signaling her to let go. She just stood there with her head down; shaking. I leaned closer to her and lifted her head up with my finger under her chin. I noticed a small tear in her eye, so I dragged my finger under her eye, bending the tear to follow it until it glided off her face. Her face grew pink a little bit and smiled; leaning closer. Without thinking, I slid my hand between our faces and stepped back, hoping to not take this any further. She stared at me, a little disappointed, with her beautiful eyes, and nodded.

I reached out my hand to shake hers, trying to start over. "Are we cool?" I said.

Taking it, she shook my hand and pushed some of her hair back. "Yeah… We're cool."

I looked back towards the hospital, then all around; wishing no one was spectating. "Shall we?" I asked her.

Ino walked next to me. "Yeah… Let's go."

- -/- -

For four hours, we walked around town; Ino giving me the grand tour she had "promised." She took me to her flower shop (which I liked because all of the flowers seemed to soothe my nerves somehow), all of her favorite stores (which I didn't reaaly care for because they were all girls' clothing stores, plus, all the other girls would whisper and giggle whenever I held Ino's bags and waited for her to try on new clothes), the Hokage's mansion (which I knew I'd be called there eventually), and many other places. The experience was unforgettable. I was astounded at how diverse and large this village was. Now wonder it had such high credibility among the neighboring lands.

An hour or so before dusk, Ino suggested that we stop for dinner. She said that she was going to take me to this "amazing" barbeque restaurant. I asked why she would even bother, but she said that was "strictly confidential."

"Seriously Ino," I protested. "There is no need to treat me to anything…"

Ino turned to me, with a twinkle in her eye, and said, "Now, now, Takūya. Stop beating yourself up over what happened. This is just my way of saying…" She opened the door to the restaurant and I couldn't believe my eyes.

"WELCOME TO THE TEAM!"

There was a huge mass of people crowded among the seats of the restaurant. They were all cheering and shouting. There was also a large banner hanging from the ceiling that said: Welcome Takūya! I couldn't help but flinch in surprise.

"Wha… What's _this_ all about?" I said. Ino shut the door behind us and leaned next to me.

"It's a party, welcoming you as an honorary member of Squad 10!"

I was confused. 'Squad 10?' I thought. 'They all accept me? Just like that? I thought these people would still be mad at me…'

I looked down for a second. "I don't understand…" I said with a sullen tone. "Is this allowed? How can you all just accept me so easily?" I lowered my head again. "I mean… after all I said and did…"

Ino slapped me in the back of my head and crossed her arms; the room went silent.

"Hey! I told you to stop skulking over that! I'm trying to do something nice for you!" Ino sounded unhappy.

I looked back up and I noticed someone had gotten up and walked over to us: Shikamaru.

"Nghh… Look, I never approved of this, but seeing that we have a position open of a new comrade… and you are quite the ninja, so…" He glanced over at the pouting Ino, who turned her back to us. "Besides… it would make Ino happy if you joined us." He stuck out his hand. "So, Akatsuki… are you in?"

I stared at his hand for a moment. 'Maybe it's time I did some good and made something of myself…' I thought. I slapped his hand and shook it. "Count me in, comrade."

Ino turned her head back to me and I noticed sparkles in her eyes. She smiled a sweet smile; one filled with overwhelming joy, and hugged me.

"Ohhh… This is so AWESOME!" I heard a voice shout.

The one who called out barreled towards us and embraced Ino, Shikamaru, and I in a huge group hug. He was a gargantuan boy with large, spiky brown hair and had swirls on his cheeks. He wire a mostly red, padded jumpsuit. Did I mention he was LARGE!

"Our new partner! This is so COOL!" He shouted.

Shikamaru, wedged next to me, grunted, "Ggh… Choji! Put us down!"

The boy called Choji put us down and wiped away a "man" tear from his pudgy face. "Sniff… Sorry, Shikamaru. It's just… A NEW TEAMATE! It's SO AWESOME!" As I brushed myself off, he turned to me. "Hey, I'm Choji Akimichi, of the Akimichi Clan. What's your name?"

"I'm Takūya. Takūya Ryūsui." I replied.

"Whoa! _You're_ Takūya! That is so cool! You're the ex-Akatsuki right? AWESOME! Ino wouldn't stop talking about you while you were in the infirmiry!"

Ino elbowed Choji in the arm. "CHOJI! SHUT UP!" Her face went red. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit. 'What good friends.' I thought.

Ino turned to me. "Hey! I almost forgot! Your welcoming present!"

'I already thought this party was much, but a present?' I pondered. 'What could it be?'

Ino pointed to the far end of the restaurant. "There it is!" She exclaimed. I walked to the end of the room and was overcome with joy. 'Could it be!'

There, on a long rack, was my beloved sword, Kuikkushirubā, all sharpened up and polished. "Guys…" I said as I lifted it from the rack. "This is…"

"You don't need to say anything," Shikamaru said, leaving the restaurant. "Just show up at the Hokage's mansion tomorrow."


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: 7 out of 10**

"WHAT! What do you mean he's already on a team!" Shikamaru's voice was outraged.

Tsunade rested her forehead on her folded hands. "It's just what I told you: Takūya has already been assigned to Team Kakashi; no exceptions."

Shikamaru's voice lowered. "It's just… he already has a team; us, Squad 10!"

Tsunade sighed, and then looked up at Shikamaru and me. "Look, I'm sorry, but I've already made my decision. Besides, without Asuma, Squad 10 might as well be disbanded..."

Shikamaru tensed. "But, Miss Hokage, you know as well as I do I am fully capable of taking his place as captain; so-"

"SO, NOTHING!" The decision is final!" Tsunade flared. "Sigh… Listen, I need Takūya on this mission; that's it. If he returns successful, then we'll see if he can be reappointed… happy?"

Shikamaru paused for a moment. "…Yes ma'am…"

Grinning, Tsunade said, "Good, you may go; Takūya, your new team is waiting for you at the West Gate."

"Yes, Hokage." I obediently said, remembering the pain from her punches. I turned away and made my way outside, wondering; 'Why me?'

- -/- -

Upon arriving at the West Gate, I could see my new team in the distance. I noticed Sakura and Naruto, but there were three others I didn't recognize. The two taller ones were adults, wearing standard leaf ninja uniforms. One had spiky, grey hair. And the other had short, brown hair. The grey-haired one seemed to be wearing some sort of mask covering only his mouth and his headband covered his left eye. Speaking of eyes, the other one had such gaping eyes, that it reminded me of an owl's eyes. Finally, the shortest of the three, had sleek, black hair and was actually wearing black pants, black sandals, black vest, and these narrow, black eyes. The thing that really got me was his pale, pale skin; obviously UV deprived.

**POV Shift! (**Just this once.**)**

"Aaaaah… I wonder who our new comrade is," Naruto said, stretching. "Do you know who he is, Captain Yamato?"

"Nope, sorry Naruto; its news to me." He said.

Naruto turned to Kakashi. "What about you, Kakashi-sensei?"

"The Hokage said that he is powerful water-style ninja. That is why he was put with us, a team two leaders."

"A water-style… *_gasp*_! Wait… Naruto! You don't think-"

"'Think what,' Sakura?" someone asked.

"Oh, Sai. I forgot you were still recovering while all of this was going on."

"Sakura!" Naruto growled. "We can fill him in later; here _he_ comes…"

**POV SHIFT! (**Okay, last time…**)**

I couldn't hear much of what they were all talking about while I walked up to them, but I had a feeling it was about me; and judging from the looks on Naruto's and Sakura's faces... I was right.

'Oh boy…' I thought. 'Trouble…'

"You," Naruto grumbled. "Still alive huh? Lucky bastard. I oughta give you what for."

I gave a half-sour look at him. "Tough talk for someone who loved making out with the wall."

Naruto growled. "Grrr! You got lucky! That's all! I'll show you! RASEN-"

"Okay, I think that's enough." The gray-haired man snatched Naruto's arm when he reached back.

Naruto growled. "Ggh, Kakashi-sensei, he's an Akatsuki!"

"Was," Kakashi retorted. "He _was _a member of the Akatsuki. He is on our side now." He gave me a look to make sure what he said was absolutely true, then let go of Naruto's arm. "So be respectful of our new comrade."

Naruto pointed at me with a pissed expression. "You expect _ME _to fight alongside _HIM_?"

Sakura stepped in. "Naruto… you said the same thing about Sai when he joined us. Now you two are great friends. So give Takūya a chance."

Naruto squinted and crossed his arms, grumbling. "Ah… All right… But if he badmouths Saskue too, then-"

"Saskue?" I questioned. "Who's Saskue?"

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. Sakura looked worried. "You really don't know?" She asked.

I gazed at them, confused at their reactions. "Never heard of the guy," I said. "Sorry."

Naruto turned away. "Gee… the one ringer we get for our team and he doesn't even know who Saskue is…"

Everyone was dead silent. "Well," The other adult ninja said, breaking the silence. "Before we lose sight of our objective, I think it's time we introduced ourselves; Hi, I'm Captain Yamato, and this," He gestured to Kakashi. "Is my colleague."

"Kakashi Hatake." He said. "You should already know Sakura Haruno,"

"Hi, Takūya. It's good to see you again." She said.

"And Naruto Uzumaki." Kakashi gestured towards the grumbling Naruto. "And this…" He laid his hand on the all-in-black ninja's shoulder. "Is Sai."

The all-in-black ninja turned his gaze to me. "Hi, I'm Sai. You have beautiful eyes; they are dark, like mine."

Naruto coughed up a storm. "Umm… thanks?" I said, confused. 'Where did that come from?'

"I read in a book that one of the best ways for someone to like you is by complementing them on their clothes or body." He gave a smile that would have creeped Itachi out. "Did it work?"

I sighed and shrugged. "If all you wanted was to be friends, why didn't you just say so?"

"Sai isn't really that too good with social skills." Sakura mentioned. "He's been trying to get better by reading books, but it all just come out wrong. Heehee, sorry."

I chuckled a bit, and then turned to Yamato and Kakashi. "My name is Takūya Ryūsui. It is an honor to fight alongside you all."

"Well," Kakashi said. I noticed him give a quick look to Yamato. "Shall we begin?"

"Begin what, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Our new mission: to hunt down Saskue."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: A Shocking Twist of Fate**

There seemed to be a stiff atmosphere around everyone when Kakashi revealed our mission. Sakura looked shocked, in a confused kind of way.

"But… Kakashi-sensei…" she whimpered. "That didn't work out so well the first time… Don't you remember?"

Kakashi sighed and closed his eye. "Yes Sakura… I realize that we failed that time; but this time will be different… I'm sure of it."

"HOW!" Naruto shouted. "How will _he_ make any difference! He's a WATER-Style ninja. With him around, Sasuke will fry us all!"

"_Naruto,"_ Sakura warned. "Be respectful."

"No." I said. "He's right… I'll just be a danger to you all…"

"Not quite," Sa intervened. Everyone turned and stared at him. A little shaken by the sudden shift in attention, Sai continued. "That may prove useful to our advantage." He turned to me. "That sword… In the water, the metal in that sword could be used as a lightning rod; attracting all the electricity and keeping it from us, correct?"

I looked down at Kuikkushirubā. I never fought a lightning-style ninja before… I couldn't promise anything. "I-"

"Not exactly," We all turned to Yamato. "That may sound like a good idea, but you must remember that Takūya isn't the only one there fighting."Kakashi turned up his gaze at that information.

"Wha- What do you mean Captain Yamato?" Naruto asked

"Hmmm…" Yamato crossed his arms. "Well, it's true that the sword may attract the lightning away from us, but what about the water itself? Water-style shinobi must have vast amounts of chakra in order to control a massive body of water; utilizing all of their concentration on the water's quantity, stability, and movement. Manipulating a torrent of liquid all at once is enough for the ninja to be thinking about, let alone their teammates, making them more individualistic and solitary than most ninja of other chakra natures. We would more of a danger to each other than Sasuke would…"

"Then why would I be put on a team that makes me a threat to everyone else's safety?" I interrupted.

"Because," Kakashi said, stepping forward. "We aren't going to fight Saskue… _you _are."

At that instant, Naruto fell into a sea of rage. "WHAAAAT!" He screamed. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" Naruto was so red, one could think he was "going cloak." "HIM! NO! There's NO way in _HELL_ that _HE'S_ the one that's going to bring Sasuke back; I AM!"

Everyone stared at the steaming Naruto. Sakura seemed terrified. I didn't know how to respond to Naruto's fury. I mean, it's just a mission, right?

"What's your problem?" I said bluntly. "I have to fight this 'Sasuke.' What's the big deal?" Sakura turned away, somehow disappointed with my response. Naruto fell dead silent.

"Sasuke, he's…" Sakura said quietly. Naruto looked at me with a sadness that I couldn't possibly describe.

"You…" He muttered. "You really don't know… do you? They…The Akatsuki... never told you?"

I withdrew my breath. 'The Akatsuki?' I thought to myself. I looked at Naruto square in the eye and asked, "What do you mean?"

Sakura turned and looked at me with the same sadness that I saw in Naruto. "Itachi," She said. My eyes darted to her. "Itachi Uchiha is Sasuke's older brother…" My breath stiffened and my eyed stooped.

"He…" I said in a low voice. "He never even mentioned that he had a little brother…"

"I bet he wouldn't," Naruto growled. "Sasuke has been training to kill him for eradicating the rest of his clan for years… That's why he left us; and joined Orochimaru."

'That name I knew; He used to be one of 'us' but was banished for some reason. Kisame-sensei never told my why.'

"Now," Naruto contined. "Orochimaru is going to steal his Sasuke's body for himself…" I think I might have noticed a tear in Naruto's eye when he said that. "He's my best friend… and I _WILL _get him BACK!"

Now understanding the situation at hand, I was taken back at how much Naruto cared about this guy; must have been hard, but a matter is still at hand… the mission.

"Well…" Yamato cut in. "I think we all now understand the pressing matters of this mission, but we still-"

"CAPTAIN YAMATO!" Naruto complained.

"Enough Naruto." Kakashi stepped in.

"But Kakashi-sensei…"

"We know how important this task is to you, but this has gone on long enough. We have to play with the cards that were dealt and now we have an ace in the hole… It's time we used it." Kakashi turned to me.

"I agree Naruto, we can't wait any longer." Sai said softly. "However, this still doesn't fix the water-conduction problem… Takūya could still get hurt."

"Not necessarily," Kakashi slyly said. "There's actually more to Takūya than even _he_ might know… Here, I'll show you…" Kakashi walked up to me and stuck out his hand. "So, how 'bout it?"

Without much question, I reached my hand out to take his, but when I did…

"Just relax…" Kakashi whispered. Just then, his entire hand was cloaked in lightning! I heard Naruto curse a bit while Sakura and Yamato gasped in awe. I stood there… watching each of the quick tendrils of electricity spark up the length of my arm; no pain, no shock…


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Wind Chill**

Within the next few hours, we had arrived at our first destination: the Hidden Waterfall Village. To make up time, Kakashi and Yamato explained the details during our "sprint" there. They mentioned that we would be meeting an informant about Sasuke's wherabouts; that he actually _met_ Sasuke on his way here. They said that this information is gonna cost us though; because the informant is actually an esteemed bounty hunter around these parts, and would not give up is prize so easily. We wouldn't know who this guy is, or what he looked like, but I don't think it will be that hard to figure out; anyone who faced Sasuke, and lived, must feel pretty good about himself right now. Maybe he is even getting swarmed by his fan club right now. However, there is no doubt in my mind that he will recognize us…

'Except for me.' I thought as I reached my hand over my upper left arm, feeling the slashed-out Mist Village headband wrapped around it.

"Hey, stop fidgeting," Sakura said to me. "If we actually pull this off, I'm sure Lady Tsunade will release you from your parole. Maybe even let you stay… with us." She reached over her head to feel her headband too.

After we all checked in through the main desk, the ninja said it take a moment or two to find and summon him. In the meantime, Yamato said he had some business to take care of and he'd be back later.

While we were all standing in the middle of the main plaza, I could sense Naruto getting anxious. "Ahhh… Kakashi-sensei, when will this informer-guy be here?" he grumbled.

"Soon, Naruto; all in good time." He replied coolly.

Sai looked around the area and murmured to us, "I just can't imagine the circumstances that would lead Sasuke to let this person live…" He took a deep breath. "It's intriguing; how did this person even come to find him at all?"

"Who knows," Kakashi responded. "Maybe fate is finally shining on us today."

I was never one to believe in destiny, but I couldn't come up with a better explanation than: "Maybe he was having a good day?"

That got everyone's attention, once I realized that I accidentally mumbled that out loud. Sakura and Naruto stared at me in disbelief.

I tried to back up my theory. "I mean… You said it yourself, right? That he was your best friend? Maybe… he couldn't be all bad… Right?"

Everyone suddenly calmed down. Kakashi closed his eye and looked up, with a smiling expression while Sakura's and Naruto's faces lighted up. Naruto gave a big grin and chuckled. "Heh heh, I did, didn't I? That's right! Were best friends and now we can finally get him back! Thanks Takūya, I owe ya one." He gave a thumbs-up. I nodded in response to his gesture when suddenly; a small icicle zoomed between us.

"Huagh ha ha! Darn, I missed! Oopsies, _THAT_ won't happen again… Ha ha!" a chilling and maniacal voice hollered in amusement.

We all pivoted towards the voice's location, when someone dropped from an overhanging tree above us and pulled my arms back, freezing my wrists and feet to the ground before I could draw Kuikkushirubā.

Everyone jumped back a bit, shaken by the sudden on the mystery man. With his palm on my forehead, I struggled to break free, but my assailant tugged on my hair, pulling my head back some more. I tried to catch a glimpse of the man's face in my peripherals, but all I could make out was his mass of ruffled hair. He brought his face closer to my right eye; he had a crazed look in his eye, and a large scar than ran horizontally across his face and the bridge of his nose. He made a devilish grin and then he licked his lips, leaving his tongue hang out like that of a dog.

"Well, well; haven't _we_ been the naughty boy, hmm? Thought you could escape from 'ol uncle Saiko did we? Huh ha!" he said as he pointed an icicle that protruded from his left, bandaged palm to my neck. He was so close I could feel the frost in his breath. This guy was bad news, but some sort of air in the undertone of his voice made something lurch inside of me; like some sort of great evil… or maybe his awkward approach just _majorly _disturbed me.

Instead of helping, like he SHOULD have, Naruto shouted, "Huh? Hey, what's the _big idea_, huh! Falling through trees like that! You could hurt someone!"

'That little idiot…' I thought to myself, struggling to arc my neck away from the icicle spike. "Ggh, _NARUTO_! If you just keep standing there, _I'M_ the one that's going to get hur-"

The man tugged my hair even harder. "SILENCE, WORM! _Can't you see the _nice_ boy is trying to tell me something of no importance? _H-ha, and people say _I'm_ the rude one…"He returned his gaze to me, then to everyone else, Sakura being the last. "_Ohhhh!_ My, my… Who is the pretty flower here? Huh ha ha ha ha! Is THIS your _Giiirrrrrrrlfriend? _Ha ha ha ha! How… _SWEET!_"

I couldn't help but blush ever so slightly at his false accusation. Naruto, however, was not so amused. "Ggh, _GIRLFRIEND!_ Takūya! TELL ME THAT'S NOT TRUE! _Tell me, _or you'll wish you-"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "Look out!"

A few streaks of pink lightning homed in on Sai and Kakashi and struck the ground were they stood with a small crackle when they dodged them; tailed by a large blast of wind aimed for Naruto. Sakura leapt towards him, tackling him to the ground as it boomed over them. It hit the trunk of the tree slightly behind the strange, cold man with such vigor, that it was actually uprooted a little.

The man spun his head towards the source of the blast and gave a shrill laugh. "_Oooooooo! _I felt some breeze on THAT one!" He tilted his head to the side quite a bit. "You and '_no-eyes_' over there might want to work on your aim. Eh, Arashi! Huh ha!"


End file.
